‘Stay in a state of gratitude,’ Texans’ Damon Arnette Jr. reflects on first NFL regular-season game since 2021

BALTIMORE, Md. – Inside the Texans’ cramped visitors locker room in Baltimore, Damon Arnette Jr. savored the moment while packing his bag for the flight home to Houston.

For the first time in four years, he had played in an actual NFL regular-season game.

Arnette had hit rock bottom between that time as a Las Vegas Raiders’ first-round draft pick from Ohio State who experienced multiple legal and personal issues that derailed his career.

The Texans gave Arnette a second chance after he relaunched his career with the Houston Roughnecks, signing him after a successful tryout.

Elevated from the practice squad Saturday, Arnette recorded two tackles on special teams and had a couple plays on defense. Those 22 combined snaps were extremely significant to Arnette, considering the tough road he’s walked and the growth he’s been striving for and finding off the field.

His last game before Sunday’s 44-10 blowout victory at M&T Bank Stadium: Oct. 4, 2021 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

For Arnette, 29, this opportunity from the Texans represented an emotional milestone. Before kickoff, he texted one of the key people that set in motion his NFL comeback: United Football League executive Darryl ‘Moose’ Johnston, the former Dallas Cowboys fullback who greenlit his return to professional football and positioned him to catch the attention of the Texans.

“It feels great to be proving right the people who helped me on this journey,” Arnette told KPRC 2. “I hit up Darryl Johnston this morning, and just thanked him again. Just trying to continue to stay in a state of gratitude.”

The play on the field was solid from Arnette. He had a hydration issue at one point late in the game, leaving the game as starting cornerback Kamari Lassiter stepped in and intercepted a pass.

It’s all a part of the process for Arnette, who could just as easily be out of football. Instead, he’s with the Texans and extremely grateful for this chance to play the game again at its highest level.

“Unreal, or surreal,” Arnette said. “We got the win. That’s the most important thing. It’s just the first game, so the first one that was out of the way. I feel like I can get better in certain areas, like hydration and stuff like that.”

Arnette has reordered his life by making significant changes after multiple off-field issues in the past.

During the preseason, he intercepted a pass against the Carolina Panthers.

Arnette had a pick-six for a touchdown for the Roughnecks against the Birmingham Stallions in the spring before signing a one-year, $1.03 million contract with the defending AFC South champions.

The interception set up a touchdown run by running back British Brooks in the Texans’ 20-3 win over the Panthers in preseason action.

“It felt amazing,” Arnette said. “All glory to God. Took a good rush. They’d been killing stuff and I was just in the right spot at the right time and then just let everything happen once it was time to make a play.”

Arnette had one tackle on defense and another tackle on special teams in his debut with the Texans against the Minnesota Vikings, playing 30 snaps on defense for 45 percent of the total playing time and six snaps on special team. In 2021, the Raiders released him after a social media post where he brandished an assault rifle and made death threats to a fan trolling him Secondary coach Dino Vasso made it a point to remind Arnette about how far he’s come from those dark moments.

Arnette played 15 snaps on defense and six snaps on special teams against the Panthers.

“I’m just here trying to do my job,” Arnette said. “I was focused on special teams all game. It was the fourth quarter. It’s just always being ready to play. You know what I’m saying?”

The Texans did their due diligence, talking with the Roughnecks and Johnston before deciding to bring Arnette in for a workout and potentially resurrect his career.

“I’m just so thankful to be here,” Arnette said. “Every day I’m out here, I just out here having fun. It could’ve went wrong, it could’ve been good, you know what I’m saying? As long as I just go out there and play with my technique, but most importantly, play hard. Can’t go wrong.”

The former Ohio State standout was on the verge of being exiled from professional football when he received a second chance in the United Football League and excelled as a starter for the Roughnecks.

Arnette said he has found sobriety and gotten in touch with spirituality while leaning into his family. Jon Gruden, his coach with the Raiders, called Arnette a changed man. And Johnston and Roughnecks officials attested to Arnette changing his past misbehavior and being reliable on and off the field.

What Arnette does with this opportunity is up to him.

“A lot of thought goes into it,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said during training camp. “You take all the information into consideration. You go through a pretty extensive vetting process, which we did. I think where Damon is now relative to where he was earlier in his career is a different point. You’re just honest about those conversations.

“I think Damon is trying to do the right things. Try to put himself in a position to take advantage of his opportunities. We are inclined, if we feel it’s appropriate to give somebody a second chance then we will see how it goes. Damon’s got to earn his opportunity, but he’s been good to work with. He has had a good attitude, good approach.”

A year ago, Johnston wasn’t entirely sold on whether there had been enough personal growth from Arnette to relaunch his football career.

This year, Johnston, the UFL executive vice president of football operations and a retired former Dallas Cowboys fullback and lead blocker for Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, became convinced in what he needed to see from Arnette from a maturity standpoint after performing his due diligence and allowed him to play. Arnette capitalized on the opportunity, excelling for the Roughnecks as a starter and returning an interception for a touchdown. He tried out for the Texans and was signed to a contract.

Johnston told Arnette he’s proud of his progress and is staying on him to make sure he stays on the right path.

“I put a lot of effort into just making sure that Damon was in the right spot mentally, had put his past behind him,” Johnston told KPRC 2 during a UFL football clinic at TDECU Stadium at the University of Houston. “There was genuine remorse about what had happened and then you get with the appropriate people to get the facts of the matter and, then, you weigh all those different elements into it. When we got down to it, we really felt that Damon had earned the right to have a second opportunity to change his life around.

“So, we’re very proud of what he’s done with this opportunity. He’s still got a long way to go. I talked to Damon the day he signed with the Texans and said, ‘Hey, congratulations, that’s great stuff. I know it’s been a long journey, but you are just at the beginning. You’ve got so much work to do.’ And so I’m gonna be on him all the way through training camp, making sure that he’s got a friendly voice talking to him."

The Texans, who thoroughly looked into Arnette’s background, weren’t alone in having interest in the former Ohio State standout. The San Francisco 49ers, including general manager John Lynch, reached out to the UFL about Arnette. Another NFL team that displayed interest in Arnette and was exploring the possibility of adding him was the Green Bay Packers, per league sources.

“It was a couple of teams that were reaching out on him,” Johnston said. “He’s got everything you want, he’s got the length. He’s a former first round draft pick, so the talent is there. It’s really the maturity. Has he learned from what happened to him, his first opportunity when he was in Vegas?

“So, it was great to see the Houston Texans call, DeMeco Ryans, because John Lynch in San Francisco was another one that called about him. So you can see that he really fits that style of defense that DeMeco wants to install with the Texans coming from the San Francisco 49ers because those were probably the two busiest teams that were reaching out on Damon’s behalf."

When the Raiders felt it was time to move on from Arnette, they were facing a public relations crisis with Arnette’s actions six days after wide receiver Henry Ruggs III caused a car accident that killed a woman and her dog and later pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence.

With the Roughnecks, Arnette didn’t have any issues, according to the team. He drew praise for his work ethic as he arrived early in the morning to start his daily activities routinely at 6 a.m. He finished the season with 35 tackles, one sack and one interception and drew praise as a good teammate.

"DA is a phenomenal human being," All-UFL Roughnecks safety Leon O’Neal Jr. told KPRC 2. “I think we go through things in life that we wish we could take back, and emotions can take over and we make bad decisions. I think he’s learning from those every single day. Him being in that room, just seeing the maturity with so much on his plate is really impressive, to be honest with you, and he was a big part of our team this year and why we were successful."

A father of two daughters and one son, Arnette expressed gratitude to Roughnecks coach Curtis Johnson and Johnston

The guidance Arnette has received from Jon Gruden, his former coach in Las Vegas, has been extremely meaningful to him.

“He’s got a whole new identity,” Gruden told KPRC 2 in a telephone interview after Arnette agreed to terms. “He doesn’t look the same. He doesn’t act the same. He’s not the same. He has changed his identity. He changed the circle of people in his life, in a good way. He’s focused. He’s determined. He’s got to make up for some time that he lost. He’s really concentrating on stringing good days together. I’m really proud of him.

“I see a guy who has reinvented himself. He has done it very impressively. I hope he continues to do that. We’ll all be able to pull for him. Some of the best stories I’ve been involved in with coaching is seeing guys turn it around from adversity. Darren Waller is a great example. He had problems and fixed himself. So did Maxx Crosby. Damon Arnette can do that as well. Hopefully, this opportunity leads to something great.”

High profile sports litigator Daniel Moskowitz, who has represented several players in off-field issues, has been instrumental in helping Arnette, as has one of his agents, Steve Weinberg. Weinberg talked the UFL into giving Arnette a second chance, setting the stage for this NFL comeback.

“I tell all of my clients, many of whom find themselves on their last leg, there is a solution for everything,” Moskowitz said. “Damon took those words to heart and he ran with it. None of this surprises me. I saw firsthand the blood, sweat, tears and growth. Extremely proud of him and excited for him.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com